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Chapter 85.1 - What A Windfall
The crown prince’s eyes shook.
Only then did it come to mind.
‘B… bet?’
It was a bet made with taking the emperor’s knee as a joke. Of course, he didn’t know yet that Ian had found the culprit. However, contact with his subordinate, Yeong, was cut off.
Then it was clear that the Seventh Prince must have found something related to the culprit underground.
‘If so, the bet is my loss.’
Originally, he would have waited for that man to bring the culprit. However, he didn’t manage to do so because he was in a hurry to move. Hence, of course, it was his defeat.
The problem was…
‘I… have to swear allegiance to the seventh prince of a kingdom?’
It would never happen.
However, the crown prince had a livid look on his face.
It’s too early to give up.
‘I even betted on the emperor’s knees. Do you think I’ll give up just like this?’
It was natural for him to think so.
They might not know it, but Ian wasn’t safe right now.
In addition, Lavaltor could also be in peril at the same time.
Therefore, the crown prince spoke triumphantly.
“Unfortunately, I won the bet.”
“Oh?”
“And I advise you as my ally. If you don’t hurry, the Seventh Prince will be in danger.”
And now he had to stall the time for that. There was only one thing the crown prince could do.
Dump!
He fell down.
Lavaltor’s soldiers rushed in surprise at the sight.
“The crown prince has fallen!”
“Medics! Come here! Hurry up!”
Even if he was a hostage, he was the crown prince of the empire. Due to such a personage falling, the procession stopped on the spot, and the medics started rushing to the crown prince.
If anything were to go wrong with his life, the relationship between the two countries would deteriorate.
While the medics were busy rushing in.
The crown prince, who pretended to faint, closed his eyes with a triumphant smile.
His whole body began to ache because of the strange liquid, but that didn’t matter now.
‘If Ian disappeared in the first place, I would not need to swear allegiance.’
The chess pieces had already been in place anyway.
So it only took a little bit of time. Then eventually the winner would be him, as it had always been.
Seeing the crown prince’s fainted figure, Duke Lavaltor raised an eyebrow and took something out.
***
“Prince, can we really stay like this?”
Nathan asked with a worried look on his face.
He couldn’t help it.
Lavaltor was being targeted by the crown prince’s ploy. However, Ian was calmly taking care of the villagers.
Naturally, he couldn’t help being worried.
“It’d be better if I join now…”
“Sir Fiosen will be doing well on his own. Moreover, I sent the knights of the Third Prince with the soldiers. Don’t worry too much.”
“That’s true, but…”
Ian understood Nathan’s concern.
Even Nathan, who couldn’t care less about others, knew that if Lavaltor, the spiritual pillar of the knights, collapsed, Kaistein might be in danger.
But Ian smirked.
“He has already taken care of everything over that side.”
“But…”
“Fret not, Sir Nathan. You have nothing to worry about.”
His words were reasonable.
‘Who cares about whom now.’
The soldiers of the Lavaltor duchy were the best in the kingdom. No, even throughout the continent, they would be among the cream of the crop. If there hadn’t been the plague or the division of troops in the first place, Bahara’s invasion wouldn’t even be a big deal to Lavaltor.
What’s more, Duke Lavaltor would be in the duchy following Ian’s letter now.
A continental-class knight that could take on 10,000 people on his own.
He was indeed a man worthy of being called the matchless warrior.
To be honest, winning against the Second Prince he supported in Ian’s previous life was close to a miracle itself.
‘If the territory is not contaminated by the plague and the relationship between the Second Prince and the First Princess hasn’t fallen out, it would have been impossible.’
In fact, when Ian became the sole heir to the throne in his previous life, Duke Lavaltor collapsed due to injury. It might not be possible if he was in his normal state.
It’s all because of the ploy of the First Princess, Cantum’s crown prince, and Garcia.
Duke Lavaltor, who was attacked from three sides, suffered fatal wounds.
‘In a way, it was really tragic.’
The heir was brainwashed by the Second Prince, and the only daughter became his wife. As if it was not enough, the permanent residents, whom he had been caring for like his own children, were devastated by the plague.
That was not all. Due to the betrayal of his allies, he fought numerous enemies and was gravely injured.
Duke Lavaltor eventually lost everything and collapsed.
‘But I won’t let it go like that this time.’
The plague was contained for now. The young lady of Lavaltor, who was like his shackles, was also free.
Ian continued with a smile.
“And Duke Lavaltor would have joined by now. As long as he is there, Lavaltor is invincible.”
“What? The duke is in his territory now? How in the world did you know that, Prince?”
“Because I asked him to?”
“!?”
Nathan looked flabbergasted. When on earth did he do such a thing?
Ian smiled meaningfully.
His eyes playfully told him to work harder if he wanted to know.
It was when Nathan, who read his eyes, was about to open his mouth.
A soldier, who had been placed on guard, burst in.
“Big trouble! Please come out quick!”
“What’s this fuss in front of His Highness!”
“Bu… but Sir Galon! The enemy—!”
“What?”
Ian smiled as if he had been waiting.
‘He finally made a move.’
The crown prince’s plan to target Lavaltor had certainly been crushed. But that’s what happened in the past life. Now, like a storm caused by a flap of a butterfly’s wings, a new scheme aimed at Ian had unfolded.
Ian hurried outside to check.
The faces of the knights and soldiers, who had already been outside, were stiff.
It was inevitable.
“Those guys…”
Barbaric leather clothes and crude weapons. Thousands of savages were rushing toward Labadom. All of them looked hideous.
Ian asked Galon, whose face had stiffened.
“Are they Bahara savages?”
“Yes, Your Highness. I don’t think they’re ordinary marauders either.”
The savages of Bahara were usually dressed in different garbs. However, the men who were rushing now were in uniform colors. In other words, they were the most elite soldiers of Bahara.
Nathan also knew them very well.
“They are feral enough to be called barbarians. Even if their lives were cut off, they would bite their enemies with a frenzy. Without Lavaltor, they won’t be easy to deal with.”
It was only natural that his face hardened as those people rushed their way.
But Galon’s face went stiff because of another reason.
‘Did His Highness expect this?’
It had to be.
“Sir Galon. I’ll take care of all the residents from now on. Please take this place seriously, sir.”
“Pardon? This place?”
“Just in case. Please be ready to fight no matter who comes at you.”
It was because of Ian’s orders to him. But it wasn’t just that. Ian also thoroughly told him what preparations to make.
“We have something to gain from them.”
Didn’t he say that?
Galon bowed to Ian.
“All the preparations you mentioned are complete, Your Highness.”
Ian shouted at the soldiers as soon as he heard his words.
“Ready for battle!”
The soldiers quickly closed the village’s bulwark. At the same time, all the archers readied the bows.
All flowed smoothly as if it had been prepared in advance.
Ian fell into thought as he watched the enemies.
‘It was fortunate that I prepared it just in case.’
Had he made a miscalculation, he would have been helplessly cornered. Not to mention losing a portion of the troops, even the injured villagers couldn’t run away from them.
Meanwhile, the Bahara men were closing in on Labadom.
Their eyes were blazing notoriously red.